Cold Blood Remix
by Amor
Summary: In a different world, the random pairings in the chuunin exam tournament were different. A small change, and one that could have been insignificant but wound up changing everyone's lives. [Dark, some gore.]
1. Chapter 1

Cold Blood Remix

Chapter 1:Blood/Fire

Disclaimer:Naruto and all related characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and are used here without permission. I'll give them back eventually, but some of them might be in bad condition.

* * *

The flat screen flickered through the names of all the applicants, taunting each one mercilessly. It was the third stage of the chuunin exam, and the fates of the remaining twenty applicants (now that Kabuto had dropped out) were in the hands of sheer chance. They were to be paired up and fight until one couldn't go any more, with only the winners advancing. Most of them were bruised or fatigued to some degree from the preceding trial. Some looked on the oncoming fight with fear, some with anticipation, and some with mere boredom. 

The twenty remaining applicants, their teachers, the examiners, and the Hokage watched the screen as it displayed the first pairing.

_HARUNO SAKURA  
vs.  
UCHIHA SASUKE_

Sakura gasped, and turned ghostly white. Sasuke frowned, but had no obvious emotional reaction. Naruto, on the other hand, panicked. "What? Sasuke and Sakura? They're gonna fight? But they're on the same team!"

"Not anymore, Naruto," Kakashi said gently. "From this point on, you're competing as individuals. If you care too much about your friends, you'll only get burned."

"But aren't we supposed to be loyal to our allies?" Sakura managed to squeak out.

Kakashi paused. "Yes, but when ally becomes enemy, a true shinobi will not hesitate. Remember that." _Still,_ he reflected, _this match-up is unfortunate. Sasuke shouldn't be fighting this soon, with that curse seal. And the only way Sakura will stand a chance is if she puts her feelings for Sasuke aside-- which doesn't fill me with confidence._

"The first battle will now commence. If everyone would make their way to the upper level..."

As the other genin left the makeshift arena for the balcony, Kankuro turned to Temari. "So... I suppose you can get paired up against someone from your own team..." He was sweating bullets, and it wasn't just from the usual heat caused by his restrictive costume.

Temari smirked. "Don't worry, Kankuro. Your odds of facing Gaara here are pretty slim." He breathed a sigh of relief. "Of course, you're going to be matched up against him eventually... if you don't lose first..."

Of all the observers, only one was uninterested in the action. Hyuga Neji didn't need to watch the match. From the little he had seen, he could already tell that Sasuke was destined for greatness and Sakura was not.

* * *

Sakura stood petrified, across the floor from Sasuke. There was no way she could be paired up against him. For one thing, she could hardly stand seeing Sasuke get hurt during missions, so there was no way she could inflict the injuries herself. That was if he wasn't already completely out of her league to begin with, combat-wise. And a fight like this, with the opponent as an obstacle in your way to success, was doomed to reverse any progress she had made with their relationship. 

Sakura would soon find she had bigger things to worry about.

Hayate raised his hand, looking at the combatants disinterestedly. "Ready? Fight!"

"Hey Sakura! Wipe the floor with that loser!" Naruto cheered her on, though she knew it was half meant as a jesting insult to Sasuke.

"Don't scratch up his face up too much, forehead!" called Ino. It took Sakura a moment to realize that Ino was cheering for her.

Sakura looked across at Sasuke, who was still in a ready stance. Tentatively, she reached for one of the kunai at her waist. "Come on, Sasuke-kun. This could just be like a light spar..."

He moved in a blue blur, faster than she could track. Sakura barely brought the kunai up to her chest to protect herself in time, and even it was knocked aside with one strike. Sasuke glanced up at her, and when she stared into his eyes, she saw no regret but only animal desire and perverse glee.

Sakura started screaming before he even touched her.

* * *

Sasuke stared across, looking at Sakura timidly thinking, as he felt the pain shoot through his body again. The pain from the curse seal was only getting worse, and a fight -- even one against Sakura -- was bound to inflame it. He shifted into a fighting stance, and felt another jolt of pain from just the slight realignment of chakra. Damnit... 

A voice hissed in his head, cold and alien. _Give in. Make the pain go away._ Sasuke could feel the seal on his back, clawing at his power, longing to embrace his consciousness, and nearly forgot he was supposed to be fighting. It ceased for a moment.

He charged forward, intending only to scare Sakura off with a couple of gentle blows, but then the pain came back threefold, and he was running and concentrating and everything was happening and he didn't want to hurt Sakura and she was drawing a knife and too much and he gave in.

It felt sort of like he did after a short nap: fine, mentally, but raw around the edges, and prone to extreme anger if provoked. His thoughts were scattered, and the logical connections were severed. He grabbed his opponent by the wrist, and his opponent was Sakura, but there was no telling if he grabbed Sakura by the wrist. And when she screamed, it was an annoying noise, an odd one, and not one associated with pain or fear or sorrow.

The only sensation Sasuke felt was the raw surge of power as he attacked. He landed a punch on the girl's chin, and he felt it. He struck her stomach with a roundhouse kick, knocking her to the ground, and it felt good. It felt even better when he stomped on her ribs, and her cries of pain were just the musical accompaniment.

She used a bunshin to escape, fleeing from Sasuke. She held out her spare kunai knife, in an attempt to defend herself. Sasuke rushed her, feeling the power flow through his legs, and drew the kunai he had taken from her. They clashed in mid-air, a quick series of slashes and parries that the pink-haired girl seemed at first to be able to catch up with. But she was tiring, as she wasn't as naturally fast as Sasuke, and eventually she was disarmed for a second time.

Sasuke stabbed her right hand. The spilt blood was beautiful.

He brought the kunai knife up her arm, tearing through muscle and flesh as he did so. She screamed in pain, and her body spasmed in fascinating ways. Sasuke brought it up, cutting a thin red line across her skin, and coating both his arm and hers in the pink-haired girl's blood.

Sasuke raised his kunai, and decided to strike the other arm. He wondered if it would bleed more or less. He drove the knife down--

--and found his arm held back by Kakashi, glaring at him with nearly levelling force.

"Sakura is unable to continue. The match is over."

Good. It was over. Sasuke reflexively relaxed.

And then it all came rushing back to him: Sakura, the violence, the stunned silence of the spectators, the curse seal, his conscience, Naruto yelling and screaming, Kakashi's glare, and most of all the excruciating pain that lit his body on fire.

Sasuke screamed.

Before he knew it, he was on the floor, reeling from a fist to the jaw. Naruto, a murderous look on his face, stood over him. "You bastard... how could you do that to Sakura? I know she was your opponent, but you went totally over the top! It makes me so angry... she loves you, or at least she says she does... and you treat her like crap..." His voice had lowered to a growl, but it was somehow more threatening.

His words stung Sasuke hard, even harder than his ones in the Forest of Death. "I'm sorry..."

"That's all you have to say?" Naruto yelled.

Kakashi stepped in between the two, seeing Sasuke's face painted with shame and Naruto's with rage. He knew that was never a good combination. "Naruto, step back for a moment. Sasuke made a mistake and he knows it. You aren't aware of the entire situation."

"Step back? Aware of the entire situation?" Naruto snarled. "What situation? Oh, let me guess: Sasuke is the poor, tragic sole survivor of the Uchiha clan. He's spent his whole life wallowing in self-pity, while the village pampered him. Nothing he does is ever his fault, because of his childhood trauma or whatever. He's just fucking misunderstood. Is that it, Kakashi? Is that it?"

Sasuke stared at the floor, trying to hide tears in his eyes. Normally he would have responded with a snide rebuttal and keep his cool, but the events of the past couple days and the weight of what he had just done broke down his usual armour. The sight of medic-nin carrying an unconscious Sakura away on a stretcher didn't help matters. _Naruto was off his mark,_ Kakashi thought, _but he must have hit close to home anyway. Sasuke obviously didn't tell him about the curse seal. Still, there are problems with this team that I obviously haven't seen before._

"Naruto... we'll discuss this later," Kakashi said tactfully. "Sasuke... come with me." If the curse seal wasn't restricted soon, the situation could quickly become a disaster.

Sasuke just stared at the blood on his hands, and numbly followed Kakashi.

* * *

As Naruto fumed, he noticed that he was alone. _No fun watching this sort of thing by yourself. I'll see if I can hang out with Shikamaru's team. They did save our asses in the Forest of Death after all._

"Hey guys," he said with a wave. Choji was the only one who greeted him with any sort of enthusiasm. Shikamaru was just too lazy, and Ino was lost in thought. The next match came up on the screen, though most were still reeling from the last one.

_NARA SHIKAMARU  
vs.  
TSUCHI KIN_

"Well, that's good timing," Shikamaru remarked honestly, before heading down to the lower floor.

"Go Shikamaru!" Choji cheered

Ino moved next to Naruto, leaning over the railing. "Naruto..." she said softly. "You're wrong. About Sasuke, I mean. There's something strange going on with him. He wouldn't hurt Sakura like that normally."

"Whatever," Naruto grunted. He really didn't want to get into this argument.

The two met in the middle of the ring, Shikamaru slouching and Kin fixing her hair. Naruto recognized her as the kunoichi of the Sound team, but other than that he didn't know much about her.

It hit Naruto. "Good timing... Hey! Well, you suck too Shikamaru!"

* * *

As Kin left to go fight, Dosu grabbed her by the shoulder and whispered, in that raspy voice of his, "Sink or swim time, Tsuchi." He had always complained that she was merely following and relying upon her team-mates, and that he looked forward to the day when she would have to fight on her own and sink or swim, to borrow a phrase. She, of course, would always shoot back that the only reason he was stronger than her was that he couldn't get a date (so he spent all his spare time training). The usual three-way insult-fest would begin. Their team was held together by anticipation of seeing the others fail. 

As much as she outwardly shrugged it off, though, Kin always worried a bit that Dosu was right. She resolved to win this fight, to prove she wasn't dead weight. When she was paired up with one of the one-trick ponies she had fought in the forest, she gained a surge of confidence.

"Hey, kid," she said. "You want to give up now, or go through the trouble of getting your ass handed to you?"

"I have to fight a girl... how troublesome," remarked Shikamaru, slouching forward.

"Did you even hear me?" Kin snapped.

Hayate signalled for the match to begin. _All you have to do is avoid his shadow,_ Kin reminded herself. With that, she reached for her weapon-- a series of needles with bells attached, on almost-invisible strings. The needles were sharp, the strings were strong enough to trap, and the bells were there to distract the opponent or make them over think things.

Before Shikamaru could step forward and try to use Kagemane, Kin tossed the first needle. It went past him harmlessly. Several more flew, each missing narrowly. It took her a while to realize that Shikamaru was dodging very subtly, only moving as much as he absolutely needed to. Still, she couldn't get a hit on him.

All the same, the all but invisible strings were now surrounding him. Two straight attacks pinned him to a very narrow column, the sound of bells ringing clear in the tower. Kin knew the strings wouldn't break, not in time for him to escape. Shikamaru still hadn't realized it. "So, let me guess, the standard bell-and-needle gambit?" he said, sounding bored. "I've dodged all of them, but you haven't started throwing the other ones yet."

"Not exactly," Kin smirked, jerking one of the strings tighter so he could feel it. She loved seeing the brief expression of an opponent who knew they were doomed. Shikamaru cursed, and both started making hand seals.

"Nawanuke no Jutsu. Rope Escape Technique" Shikamaru got his technique off first, and delicate strings of chakra freed him from the trap. Kin swore as he darted behind a pillar, and ran straight at her. _He's not holding a weapon... wait, his shadow!_ At the last minute, she focused chakra in her foot, and used it to propel herself backwards, tossing a few needles out to cover her retreat.

Shikamaru ran forward, only to find himself caught in the ropes once again. Kin smirked, but didn't wait to gloat this time. "Katon:Hosenka no Jutsu! Fire Style-Art of the Phoenix Flower, the Touch-me-Not"

Fire sped down the strings, as Shino watched closely. "Kurenai-sensei, that's a Katon jutsu. Those aren't common outside Konoha, especially not among genin."

"Oto is a new village, primarily made up of mercenaries and missing-nin," she explained. "It's very possible that she could have picked it up from one of our defectors, or even be one of them ourselves."

Kin smirked, satisfied as the fire reached its target, and Shikamaru went up in smoke. Ninja smoke. "Kagemane no Jutsu. The Art of Me-and-My-Shadow" She felt her body stiffen and conform to Shikamaru's, who was standing across from her, letting the flame project his shadow far enough to trap her in his signature jutsu. "Like I would go after you like that. Too troublesome, so I just sent a bunshin to see how you would respond."

"You wouldn't know it from looking at him, but Shikamaru's actually quite clever," said Choji to Naruto, actually understating the case.

"You still have to defeat me," she taunted, not letting her voice show her fear.

Shikamaru raised his arm.

Kin's arm caught onto the fire she had made, which spread up her sleeve quickly. "Ack! Put it out! I surrender!" Still Shikamaru's puppet, he had her beat her sleeve to smother the flames, but all it ended up doing was spreading them to the other side of her body. She let out a shriek, and a couple of gasps went up from the small audience.

"Shikamaru, you dolt! You don't do that to a girl!" Ino yelled.

"I don't think he intended for it to go that far..." Asuma muttered, not really caring if Ino listened to him or not.

Hayate stepped in, and started making the motions for a Suiton jutsu, but he found his path blocked by the three sound-nin's sensei. The androgynous man held up his hand calmly. "Give her a minute or so." Hayate made a motion to argue, but a cold stare levelled any objections. Kin screamed obscenities as the fire engulfed her clothes and her entire body.

"Why aren't they putting it out?" Naruto continued to ask, as Kin screamed.

"Because her sensei is showing her how weak she really is," remarked Neji knowingly. "How can you be a soldier if you need to be saved?" Naruto stared at him, not really sure of the explanation.

Orochimaru watched the flames with a pyromaniacal glee. _Without her beauty to distract her, Kin will be more focused on improving herself as a shinobi. And perhaps this open wound of loss will form into the throbbing scab of revenge. Yes, if anything can make Kin into a useful ninja, it is this. And if she winds up hating me, she will join half of the shinobi in Otogakure in doing so. _

_Besides, her screams are simply delightful._

Eventually, Orochimaru tired of this, and drew a scroll. His hands blurred through signs. "Fuka Hoin. Fire Sealing Method" A vapour extended from the scroll, and enveloped the fire, eventually consuming it and sealing it away. With it, Kin's wounded form was plainly visible. Her clothes were long incinerated, and dark burns nearly covered her body. Only a few strands of hair remained, drooped sporadically across her shoulders and trapped inside burns. Her right arm, where the fire had began, was now an amorphous black mass. Her face was a twisted facsimile of its former self: stretches and bumps forming an intricate and disgusting map of burns and scars. A thin layer of tears streamed down what was left of Kin's face.

"Holy..." Shikamaru said, going pale. "I... didn't mean for... just wanted her to... it was..."

The older sound ninja, took Kin by the hand, to the second dead silence of this stage, and led her to the medic-nin. Whispering something to her with his snakelike tongue, he placed her on a stretcher, where she promptly fainted away into blissful unconsciousness.

The remaining shinobi were almost equally split between the disgusted and the unaffected. "Looks like she sunk," said Dosu.

"That's what she gets, I suppose," said Temari uncertainly. She stared at her younger brother, who looked hungry after seeing so much blood in just the first two matches. She hoped his fight would come up soon, or else he might not be able to keep his bloodlust in check.

* * *

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, for what had to be the thirtieth time. Kakashi sighed. They were in a side room, with Kakashi crouching down to create the Fuja Hoin Evil Sealing Method on Sasuke's bare back, with the symbols spreading out onto the floor to form a circle around the boy.. The curse seal was spreading like a rash, but with luck Kakashi's seal would contain it. 

"The one you should apologize to is Sakura," said Kakashi. "You lost control, and I understand that... but at the same time, it's your responsibility. Your willpower wasn't strong enough, and you were too arrogant to withdraw from the tournament."

"I know, I know," Sasuke said, his voice pained. "Maybe Naruto was right..."

Kakashi sighed. He knew that Naruto had reacted a little rashly, and was maybe spurred on a bit by jealousy, but he had a point. "He doesn't know about the curse seal. Now, how about we deal with this for good?"

"Whatever it takes," said Sasuke darkly.

Kakashi made the incantation, and watched as the lines of symbols snaked up his body and restricted the curse seal, reverting it to a mere three dots surrounded by a sharp black barrier. "...is it gone?" asked Sasuke, sounding tired.

"Well, the next time that curse tries to become active, the seal should stop it," Kakashi explained. "However, its power is based, to a large extent, on its bearer's will. If you lose belief in yourself, or give into lust for power, the seal will fail and the curse will run wild again."

"I won't," Sasuke vowed.

From the shadows, Orochimaru watched. He wouldn't step into this picturesque moment, though he knew he could defeat Kakashi easily. After all, Sasuke was still conscious. _I don't want to risk doing anything that would push him away... well, other than what's necessary. Still, this is more intriguing than I thought... I've never seen someone react to a curse seal in that way before. He went completely berserk._

Orochimaru ran his serpentine tongue over his lips. _Kakashi is being so foolish. Of course Sasuke will break that seal, with his own will. After all, what he really wants is power, the power that will make him able to kill Itachi. And I'm the one who can give him that power. Eventually, he'll come begging to me, and I'll get a cute new pawn. _

_Sasuke will be mine, and nothing can stop that._

* * *

Author's Notes: 

Why can't I stop creating new epic-length fics? Is it an addiction, or just bad judgement? Considering that I've recently abandoned two of them, and the idea of finishing one of these at my current pace is laughable, shouldn't I just nip the disappointment of myself and my hypothetical readers in the bud?

And yet, I write, and I post, and maybe people look at it. If you've come this far, I thank you. In case you missed it, the premise of this AU is that the match-ups in the tournament stage of the Chuunin exams were different, and the new ones cause everything to go off in a significantly different directions. Aside from a couple new ideas, and maybe more significant parts later, this will be the only adjustment to the plot, though some things that stay more or less the same will probably be skimped on.

This is also, as you can see, going to be quite dark. I don't know what exactly draws me to Naruto darkfic. Maybe it's just latent teenage angst?

This chapter ended up focusing on the plotline of Sasuke and Orochimaru. Before you ask, this isn't one of those fanfics where Sasuke is bashed at every corner, and turned into a completely unlikeable bastard (who usually gets his ass kicked by a super-powered Naruto). For the most part, I try to treat all of the characters fairly, as blatant favouritism is one of my pet peeves in writing. The Sakura thing was extreme, yes, but it was necessary for the plot and was caused mostly by the curse seal. More explanation later in the fic. As for Orochimaru... what can I say, he's evil.

Shikamaru vs. Kin is the only match that stayed the same, and that's only in terms of who was fighting-- I changed the actual fight just to make things interesting.

This is probably a bit hard for a T/PG-13 rating, but you lose a lot of readers with an M/R because they get filtered out from the front page and probably 80 of readers don't bother to change the setting to all ratings. If it offends you, let me know.

And that's about all I have to blab on about. Reviews are, as always, greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Cold Blood Remix

Chapter 2:Speed/Determination

Disclaimer:Naruto and all related characters are the property of Masashi Kishimoto, and are used here without permission. I'll give them back eventually, but some of them might be in bad condition.

---

After witnessing the first two fights, nobody really wanted to go next. The shinobi arts were killing arts, and restraining them was often the most difficult thing about these exams. Of course, there were some who just didn't care, like Gaara. But nobody wanted to be the bloody masses of Sakura and Kin, or the shaky forms of Sasuke and Shikamaru.

_ABUMI ZAKU_

_vs._

_ROCK LEE_

"This is not going to end well," said Choji.

"How so? Lee's going to kick his ass!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I just don't want any more violence... it makes me lose my appetite..." Choji complained.

Lee leaped down from the balcony, excited, and landed in a squat. "Master Gai! I shall prove my strength in these exams, and the strength of Goken! And this most foul nemesis is merely the first obstacle in my path!"

"I didn't think there were still people that talked like that," said Temari snidely.

Zaku was laughing his ass off. "How _lucky_! I get that bowl-cut kid that I beat up in the Forest of Death for a first-round opponent? If there is a god, he's sure smiling on me today!"

"You're fighting with a broken arm, moron," Dosu hissed. "Don't get cocky."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied. "As long as I keep my skin on, I'll have done better than Kin at least."

Gai raised Lee's arm. "Lee, if you win this match, you will get the opportunity to show the world your powers of youth! Do your best!"

"I promise you I will, Master Gai!" The two hugged with tears running down their cheeks. Neji scoffed and looked away, while Tenten smiled quietly.

Lee and Zaku walked down to the lower level, where Zaku eased his left arm out of the sling. "I think this one will work well enough to fight with. So how about it, bowl-cut? Give me your best shot."

Rock Lee often took things too literally.

The next thing he knew, Zaku was flying straight into the statue on the arena wall, impacting into the stone knee and tumbling forward, pain rocking his body. Judging by the piercing pain in his ribcage, he could only assume that Lee had kicked him there. Dammit, that had hurt. Zaku got to his knees as Lee rushed him again, but this time there was more distance, giving him time to respond.

Zaku raised his working arm. "ZANKUHA!" Lee leaped out of the way of the sound waves, but the compressed air knocked him off balance and sent him tumbling forward. The taijutsu specialist landed in a somersault, but rolled right up to Zaku's sound cannon. The sound-nin smirked before firing off another blast point-blank. "ZANKUHA!"

Lee stumbled back as the blast shrieked through his ears, which served to convert the noise into high-pitched agony. Equilibrium disrupted, his world became a blur, and he was only aware of several hits to the gut.

Naruto watched on, almost angry, as Zaku got to his feet and started kicking Lee in the stomach. "Come on Lee! Get up and show that guy what you're made of!"

"It's those sound waves," Ino recalled grimly. "Zaku disrupted Lee's equilibrium, and is just being opportunistic with these attacks. Believe me, that hurts."

"Whatchamahoozit?" Naruto replied, confused.

Zaku raised his arm-cannon at Lee again, and this time the Leaf-nin managed some defense He grabbed the older boy's wrist and pulled it to the ground, making the sound wave bounce against the floor instead of Lee's eardrums. Zaku tried to pull away, but Lee grasped onto his arm with both hands and kept it pushed to the ground. The Sound-nin was forced to a kneeling position, where he met the determination in Lee's eyes.

His own eyes replied with arrogance. With one swift motion, Zaku swung forward the presumed broken arm, useless bandages fluttering away as he brought the second cannon up to bear. "ZANKUHA!"

"It was a bluff!" gasped Tenten. "He could use that arm the whole time!"

"Pointless showboating," said Neji.

Lee reeled, releasing the arm he had been holding down. Zaku got to his feet and fired both cannons with glee. "ULTIMATE ZANKUHA!" The combined wave caused most of the observers to cover their ears. Lee screamed as he was propelled into the air by sheer forth, his senses shut out and replaced by a painful blur.

"That should be about it," said Zaku confidently.

Hayate hovered over Lee. "Are you going to give up?" he asked, voice betraying no bias.

Lee paused for a moment, before slowly getting to his feet. "No... I must win this... for youthful justice!"

He rushed Zaku, slower but no less strong. The Sound-nin raised his arm, but was too slow as Lee hit him with a hay maker "Konoha Hurricane!" Fortunately, Zaku blocked the first high kick with a rising block. Unfortunately, he then recoiled, nursing his already wounded arm.

"Holy shit! What do you have, steel legs?"

"Oh yeah, my weights!" said Lee.

"...he forgot?" asked Tenten incredulously.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised," said Neji.

Zaku protested to the referee. "Can he wear those?"

"Oh sure," shrugged Hayate. "All weapons are legal."

"You want me to take them off?" asked Lee, sounding almost eager.

Zaku wasn't sure what the Leaf-nin was going on about, but he was sure that this idiot couldn't put anything past him anyway, so it didn't hurt to try. "Well, duh."

"All right!" Lee exclaimed. Before he could react, Lee had pulled up his the leg cuffs of his green jumpsuit, removed the quite heavy weights that had been strapped onto his legs, and tossed them aside.

Zaku's world was suddenly filled with green, and pain.

Though Zaku looked like a nearly amorphous bundle of flesh and blood by the time the medic-nin carried him out, in reality the injuries were simply numerous and not severe. He would be fine, save for a couple bones and his pride.

As Rock Lee re-assumed his spot on the balcony, he smiled pointedly at Neji. "Hey, Neji-san. Win your match."

The blank-eyed boy smirked. "_You _want to fight me? You really aren't the sharpest kunai in the belt, are you?"

"Why you..." Lee protested before throwing himself at Neji.

Tenten interposed herself between the two boys, grabbing their shirts and holding them apart, though Neji wasn't attacking and to be honest looked sort of bored. "No fighting, especially not here."

The screen flickered again, and everyone focused on it eagerly.

_HYUGA HINATA_

_VS._

_TEMARI_

"All right!" yelled Kiba, grabbing Hinata by the arm. "Go out there and show her what you've got!"

"Um... okay..." said Hinata meekly. She hated the feeling of having every eye on her, keeping track of her every move, waiting for the inevitable slip-up. Okay, maybe that wasn't true, but it felt like it sometime. Hinata liked her classmates – one in particular she liked _a lot –_ and didn't want to lose their respect by losing in front of them. She resolved, silently, to show everyone what she was made of.

Unfortunately, what she was made of was bowled over right afterwards by a blast of wind.

"Wait until I say go," Hayate told Temari, irate The fan-wielder simply shrugged, as if to say "what are you gonna do?".

"_I would be telling your brothers this, Temari, but I don't think I have to. Listen, when you fight in the exams – be absolutely merciless. Any weakness you show, any regret to harm, is something your opponent can exploit, and something that makes you look less impressive in front of the other ninja. We need to establish fear in the people of Konohagakure. Only a swift and powerful offense will do that._

Temari was more of a thinking ninja herself, but she wouldn't go against Baki's orders. If they wanted power, then she had more than enough of that.

Hayate swung his hand down, signaling the start of the fight, and Temari swung into action. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu Cutting Whirlwind Technque!" The wind blast hit Hinata dead on, staggering the younger girl, and a second knocked her off her feet.

"Come on Hinata!" Kiba cheered from the sidelines. "You can do it!"

_Moron, _thought Neji. _Hinata is the runt of the litter. She was never cut out to be a ninja, and she certainly won't make it past an experienced kunoichi like this one. Greatness is not in her destiny._

Hinata slowly rose to her feet, only to be knocked down by another wind blast. "If you want to save yourself some more humiliation, you should quit right now." Temari's tone of voice suggested that she was quite serious.

"I-I don't want to q-quit," Hinata stuttered.

Temari shrugged. "Not my dignity. Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" Hinata swerved to the side, avoiding this attack, but a second blast of air sent her off balance and to her back.

"Hinata is a melee fighter," Shino thought out loud. "If Temari keeps her at a distance like she's doing now, there's no way Hinata can win."

"Fuck," was all Kiba had to say.

Through the mask's cat eyes, Sasuke detected a glare of malice. "The medic-nin are currently operating on her, and no one is to be admitted. Go back to your exam. Don't you think you've done enough damage for one day?"

Another pang of guilt flared up inside Sasuke. He turned to the cat-masked ANBU and said "Can you at least tell me how she's doing?"

"She'll live. The damage probably won't be permanent, but she could be out of action for several months."

"Thank you," Sasuke said with a bow, and walked away. His guilt felt like something festering inside of him, like the curse seal, but the opposite – this was painful, like a claw grasping his intestines tightly and scratching through his stomach. What spurned it on wasn't a delirious haze, but the cold reality. But unlike the curse seal, he knew that in the long term he would benefit from it.

"Hey, kid. You look like you've been through hell. Want a cigarette?"

Sasuke looked up. It was the proctor from the second phase – that psycho chick. She seemed much less energetic at the moment, much more down to earth. "No thanks. I don't smoke."

"I didn't either," she said, as she pulled out a cigarette and lit it with chakra-produced heat. "But things are getting stressful around here."

The smoke drifted higher and lingered on the hospital ceiling. You weren't technically allowed to smoke here, but most of the time the medic-nin were too busy to care. "So, why aren't you back there watching the matches?"

"I've had my share of fighting for a lifetime," said Anko bitterly. "Anyway, about your fight..."

"I know," Sasuke said, hanging his head. "I'm sorry it ever happened."

"Far as I understand, it wasn't really your fault," she said, surprising Sasuke. She opened up the door to an empty room and went inside. "Come inside and we'll talk."

Cautiously, Sasuke entered and closed the door behind him. "What do you mean? I'm responsible for what I do."

"Look, I know about the curse, okay? And I know that bastard uses it to make you do things you don't want to do, so that he can make you into his living weapon, something inhuman. And what you showed today wasn't evil, but weakness. And weakness can be fixed."

Sasuke gasped. "How... how do you know so much."

Anko removed her jacket and pulled down her top, provoking a swell of unknown emotion in Sasuke. He could see the same black mark crawling up Anko's back as was crawling up his.

"I was one of his first attempts to make a living weapon. And I'm the only one to survive it."

"_A word, Hinata," Hiashi said calmly. She turned away from the door to face her father, and once again withered under his gaze. Hinata shifted her view and just stared at the floor. Hiashi looked down on her with disdain. Hinata was surprised – her father barely talked to her at all anymore, leaving her to her duties as a shinobi and spending most of his time training Hanabi, whom he had designated his talented child._

"_When you participate in these exams, you are representing the entire Hyuuga clan. I know that Neji is your superior, but it would not due to be shown up by someone from the cadet branch. Chuunin is beyond your skills now, and it may be for the rest of your life, but you must leave the clan's dignity in tact. Your failure would reflect on all of us. If you are going to lose, at least put up a good fight in doing so."_

"_Yes Father," Hinata said meekly._

"_And hold your head up higher, child. You are a Hyuuga. Despite your best efforts, that still means something."_

Her father's words from five days ago – the day the exam had started – rang in Hinata's head as she was knocked to the ground once again. Small cuts had opened up on various places in her skin. She had shut off the Byakugan several minutes ago – the wind magnification jutsu was simple chakra manipulation, and there was no point in wasting chakra if she couldn't get near Temari.

"Jeez, this is getting boring," said Temari casually. "It looks like the legendary clans of Konoha are no more than a name and a collection of party tricks."

Despite everything her father had said, Hinata still felt an attachment to her clan, and felt anger bubbling to the surface as she rose to her feet again. Temari scoffed and sent another wave of wind at her. Hinata darted to the side and tossed three shuriken at her attacker, but another blast sent her and the shuriken tumbling to the ground.

Hinata got to a squat, before Temari waved her fan again. "Daikamaitachi no Jutsu Great Cutting Whirlwind Technique!" The blast, much larger and fiercer this time, caught her head-on, and cut open her shoulder. Hinata cried out and slumped to the ground, feeling ready to just give up as pain filled her body.

Feeling unconsciousness coming on, she heard a voice. "Come on! Don't give up now!" It couldn't be... Naruto? But... he didn't even know she existed, did he?

In truth, while Naruto had only thought of Hinata as that weird chick from his class, he had started to sympathize and then root for her during the battle. It might have something to do with her determination, even in the face of superior strength. Or it might have something to do with her being the underdog that Naruto had been all his life. Or it might just be Temari's cheap tactics. But whatever it was, he didn't want to see Hinata go down this way.

"It's over," said Shikamaru gloomily. "Can we get on with our lives now?"

"Indeed," said Hayate. "I declare that Hyuuga--"

But Hinata stood up.

"If you would," she said, coughing up blood, "I'd prefer to keep fighting."

"Yeah!" Naruto cheered, causing Hinata to blush. Hayate shrugged, and Temari just raised her fan again.

But Hinata was quicker this time, zig-zagging forward. "Kamaitachi no Jutsu!" The attack missed, and Hinata swerved in closer. Her eyes were peeled back, revealing her activated Byakugan. Hurriedly, Temari calculated her pattern of movement and hit her with a wind blast dead on. However, with a puff of smoke, only a log was blown back. "A substitution jutsu?"

_When you fight in the exams – be absolutely merciless._

_When you participate in these exams, you are representing the entire Hyuuga clan._

Hinata came at her from behind, causing Temari to whirl around and fire another wave of wind at her, but the blue-haired girl slid out of the way and darted straight at her Sand-nin adversary. Panicked, Temari folded up her fan and held it forward like a sword. Accordingly, blades slid forward from the ends of it. Hinata gasped, but was too late to stop a shallow cut to the chest. She did, however, slide out of the way and immediately launch a barrage of palm thrusts at Temari. The orange-haired kunoichi parried the attacks with her fan. Both girls were a blur as they attacked.

_Any weakness you show, any regret to harm, is a weakness your opponent can exploit._

_Your failure would reflect on all of us._

Hinata dove past the fan and, with one swift kick, knocked it out of Temari's hands. Her palms hit her opponent dozens of times, each time sealing up a part of her chakra coils. Pain shot through her injured shoulder, but she pressed on. Hinata allowed a small smile to cross her face as she saw Temari's chakra disrupted and forced out, rupturing organs and causing the Sand-nin to cough up blood of her own... but she was feeling awfully faint.

_Only a swift and powerful offense will do that._

_If you are going to lose, at least put up a good fight in doing so._

Hinata drew her hand back to deliver the finishing blow, that would surely knock Temari unconscious.. and suddenly keeled over. Temari, shaken but still standing, managed to grin.

Naruto, slouching forward on the balcony, stood up and yelled "Hey, what was that? What just happened?"

Temari picked up her fan and turned towards Naruto with a smirk. She ran her hand along the extended blades and gathered a dark liquid between her fingers, which she showed off to Naruto theatrically. "Poison. Don't tell me you haven't heard of it."

"Why you... of all the dirty tricks..."

"Relax, Naruto," said Shikamaru. "This is anything goes. Just like an actual battle would be. Cheap tricks may not be impressive, but they keep you alive."

"The winner of the match is Temari!" Hayate proclaimed as medic-nin appeared again to cart Hinata away. Naruto was starting to wonder if these were the same ones or there were just a lot of medic-nin. With a couple of quick hops, Temari rejoined her teammates on the balcony.

Hinata's eyes opened briefly as she was loaded onto the stretcher, and as she stared up at the ceiling she whispered "Sorry" before lapsing into unconsciousness

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay, and for the rather lacklustre chapter. Moving at two fighters per chapter means that sometimes you don't get the most exciting ones. Nevertheless, I hope that I did a decent job here.

With two-thirds of them having fought already, other than Naruto's rowdiness and Sasuke giving you your FDA-reccomended daily intake of angst, the core trio aren't doing too much in these opening chapters. Oh well. It's the minor characters that really make Naruto what it is.

Oh, and the smirking. Smirking is the very core of the series.

C&C would be much appreciated. 'Til next time, I'm out.


End file.
